Justin Langer has been quick to praise the standards of championship First Division cricket of late and yesterday Somerset's captain provided the quality himself with a defiant hundred to stave off the threat of defeat against Durham in a tensely fought, but ultimately indecisive affair at Taunton.

Somerset were up against it with a maximum of 62 overs to bat after Durham declared at 400 for seven, a lead of 176, but Langer's 109 not out from 115 balls with 19 fours, secured a stalemate at 4.30pm. Somerset and Durham both remain in a top four separated by only four points.

Langer was so sharp-eyed that, on 97, he stopped play because he was momentarily disturbed by steam rising from a boiler behind the bowler's arm. He then settled again to sweep Paul Wiseman's off-spin to reach his third championship hundred of the season, passing 1,000 championship runs for the season along the way.

Durham had engineered a chance of victory by adding a further 135 to their overnight 265 for three. Michael Di Venuto managed only four more in the first half-hour before he was run out for 135, and it required a sprightly half-century by Wiseman to secure a declaration upon reaching 400, cutting the points margin between themselves and Somerset from seven to two.

It would have required a prodigious effort, spearheaded by Steve Harmison, to translate that into victory. Harmison's new-ball spell did account for Marcus Trescothick, who had spent much of the morning off the field with a migraine, and who was soon caught at the wicket.

But Langer was tigerish in defence and attack, seeing off Harmison with three successive drives to the cover boundary and then sweeping the off-spinner, Wiseman, to distraction.

Rain prevented an unedifying but necessary hour of cricket contriving a positive finish in the Second Division match at Northampton. Negotiations between the captains resulted in Essex declaring on their overnight total, still 48 behind the home team, and then serving up 24 overs of gentle full tosses and long hops until Northamptonshire could set them a target of 300 from a maximum of 70 overs.

On a flat wicket it looked decidedly achievable, the more so because Northants' bowlers Johann van der Wath and Andrew Hall were both injured, but the weather closed in with Essex on 60 for three. Essex may now need to win both of their remaining matches, against Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, to be promoted.